At the Washington, D.C. Auto Show last week, GM revealed a plan to help America prepare for upcoming electric vehicles, such as the Chevy Volt. Two cities, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, will become "early adopters" of this all-new technology that will come to market next year. GM is also working with public utility companies, as part of a comprehensive plan, to help make these vehicles as successful as possible, when they arrive on the market.

"Collaborating with communities such as San Francisco and metropolitan areas such as Washington, D.C. - where there's already an interest in plug-in vehicles - is another important step toward raising customer awareness of the environmental and economic benefits of vehicles such as the Volt," said Ed Peper, GM North America vice president, Chevrolet.

GM is working with "key stakeholders" in these cities and across the country, such as state, city and county governments; electric utilities: clean cities coalitions; local employees, universities; and consumers that will purchase the Volt, and other vehicles of this kind, to help in the transition to plug-in electric vehicles.

"Cities have an indispensable role in making plug-in vehicles successful," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "Here in San Francisco, we are acting now to make sure the charging infrastructure will be available to support these vehicles as soon as they are ready for sale, and we are working with other cities in the region to make the Bay Area a thriving market for electric transportation."

Numerous challenges exist. Making the technology more affordable; setting up the public and workplace infrastructure; assuring afford electricity rates; renewable options; electric vehicle purchase by government and corporate entities; and high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV) access are on the list of needs and issues to be addressed.

"The Chevy Volt is truly coming to life, but preparing the market for electric vehicles also requires capable partners from outside the auto industry," said Peper. "Momentum is building as governments, technology companies, communities and universities are increasingly working together to prepare the market for electric vehicles."

Many positive developments have occurred: the federal government approved a $7,500 tax incentive for consumers of plug-in electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt; the California cities of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland announced a plan for plug-in vehicle infrastructure, incentives and enablers last November; and a new Michigan law speeds the development of advanced battery manufacturing and research capabilities in the state.

"We know plenty of work still remains, both within and outside of GM," said Peper. "But today's and other recent announcements underscore the comprehensive work being done to bring the Chevrolet Volt and other electrically driven vehicles to market - and they also highlight why we are so optimistic about the ultimate success of the Volt."

More information can be found at www.gm.com and http://media.gm.com/us/gm/en/news/events/autoshows/09dc/

--Sue Mead